After voting to leave, do we really need a second referendum about the EU?

IF A second referendum on EU membership is held and Brexit is reversed, it will be my last vote in a national election — even if it leads to Jeremy and his myopic, muddle-headed, mainly middle-class Marxists coming to power. The almost inevitable chaos that will ensue will be my revenge on Remoaners. JoHN DAvies, Dudley, West Midlands. I WaS amused by a letter stating that Brexiteers made unfounded statements and promises on what leaving the eU would involve, and that now it should be up to the more informed electorate, armed with facts, to have a say. The same could therefore be said about any local or general election where politicians make all manner of promises to get elected and then renege once in power. Should we by default rerun elections once we know that manifestos were false? D. ALLAN, via email. DEMOCRACY would be the big loser in the event of a second vote. The first referendum

was, as far as possible, a level playing field. Probably, there were lies and exaggerations on both sides, but the British people were in control. If a second vote were held, the EU would be. It is in their interest to be as punitive as possible knowing the ‘remain’ argument would defeat those of ‘no deal’ or ‘bad deal’. Its exponents would be able to portray the latter as acts of self-harm. The UK would remain in the EU, and if the question came up again in 30 years, the EU would know how to ensure Britain was kept in the fold. NEIL FRANKLIN, Peterborough. SINCe the referendum, we know a lot more about the pros and cons. For example, Poland’s economy is improving so much that many of its citizens are returning from other countries; Our industry and agriculture seem to have manpower shortages; The Irish border problem appears insurmountable; Our security would be enhanced by continued membership of the eU. People should be able to act again in the light of so much fresh information. MERVYN WILLIAMS, Huddersfield.

A VOTE to remain would ensure that in subtle ways, it would be on worse terms than before. The EU is pushing us hard; we need to push back harder.

ALAN SHARPE, Melton Mowbray, Leics. ISN’T it funny how the people who didn’t want a referendum now demand a second one. N WOODS, Chilton, Co. Durham. CAPITULATION may be a word that Europe recognises, but I always thought the UK was made of sterner stuff. We voted to leave the EU, and we will prosper without being tied hand and foot to that undemocratic body. Deal or no deal, we should leave as planned: no second referendum no extensions and no more making the UK look pathetic and weak to the rest of the world.